Bill aims to reduce hours required for CHL students

By Michelle Mondo, Staff Writer

Updated 10:47 pm, Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, was not shy about his opinion on concealed handgun license training.

“It really seemed like it went on forever,” the Justice Committee chair said during Tuesday's public hearing. “I thought it was terribly long. The safety aspects were covered easily in the first half of the session and the rest seemed like filler to me.”

The comments came during discussion of Senate Bill 864, authored by Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels.

It would lessen the number of classroom hours required to obtain a concealed handgun license, separates the classroom and range instruction into separate categories and authorize the Texas Department of Public Safety to create an online class for license renewal, but only to satisfy classroom hours.

Most Popular

“All students have to take and pass the same written exam and range exam,” Campbell said. “The bill does not change the standards of test taken in order to comply with current license requirements.”

State law currently sets the minimum number of instruction hours at 10 and the maximum at 15. Those hours cover both proficiency training on the range and classroom training on safety, nonviolent dispute resolution and laws regarding use of force.

Campbell's bill would set the minimum to four hours and the maximum to six, for classroom hours only.

Where this helps, according to the three CHL instructors who testified, is allowing for flexibility both in the classroom and on the range.

Classes of five people would take less time than those with 25 students, the maximum number allowed in one class. The students' previous experience with firearms, how quickly they catch on and whether they are knowledgeable about current laws also can change the class dynamics, the instructors said.

Houston attorney and CHL instructor Charles Cotton also spoke on behalf of the bill. Cotton had a unique perspective given he helped craft the original legislation for the concealed carry qualifications in 1995.

Cotton said the 10-hour requirement was picked after much discussion but without really knowing how much time would really be needed. Given the experience instructors have now, it makes sense to update the instruction hours, Cotton said.

No one spoke against the bill.

All jokes aside, Whitmire added: “I don't take this lightly. This is serious stuff. I wouldn't be for it if it minimized standards.”

By 3 p.m. no vote was taken on the bill because the committee lacked a quorum.